The opening sequence of The Kingdom (2024) by Julien Colonna has a magical aura. Mystery surrounds the ceremony that introduces us to Lesia (Ghjuvanna Benedetti). There is an unusual beauty in the cadence with which the director portrays the ritual, contrasting Lesia’s innocence with the ferocity of the men butchering a freshly hunted animal. It’s a foreshadowing of what’s to come and the beginning of a circle that will inevitably have to close.

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